Sardinia in 7 days: a road trip from Cagliari to Alghero

Sardinia is big, so a week works best as a line, not a loop. This plan starts in Cagliari, drops into the southern beaches, turns north through a Bronze Age site and the Sinis peninsula, and ends in Alghero. You fly into one airport and out of another, which saves a long drive back. The Sardinia travel guide covers the island, and the Italy guide shows how it fits with the mainland.

The pattern is three nights in the south, one night on the west coast and two in the northwest. That gives you a city, a beach stop, history and an old town without more than a few hours of driving on any single day. If you prefer boats and resort beaches, the northeast loop at the end of this page covers the Costa Smeralda and the La Maddalena islands instead. For the base choice behind each stop, read where to stay in Sardinia.

You need a car for this route. Trains and buses link the main towns on slow timetables, but beaches, nuraghi and viewpoints are off the lines. Book a rental well ahead for July and August, check one-way fees if you fly out of Alghero and compare excess insurance, since narrow rural roads cause scrapes.

Land in Cagliari, pick up your car later or the next morning, and spend the evening in town. The old quarter on the hill, called Castello, has narrow lanes, the cathedral and viewpoints over the port. A walk on the bastion at sunset is the classic first evening, and dinner of seafood in one of the lanes below finishes it. Our Cagliari guide has the city in more detail.

Skip the car on day one. Parking in the center is limited, and most hotels are within walking distance of the old quarter. If you arrive by ferry, the port is close to the center. Book a hotel with a garage if you rent a car on arrival.

Spend the morning at the market and the museum quarter, then head to the beach in the afternoon. The city beach of Poetto is a bus ride from the center and has a long stretch of sand. If you want history, drive south toward Pula to see Nora, a Roman and earlier site by the sea, and combine it with a swim. Check opening hours and any entry fee on the official site, since they change by season.

Keep the pace slow. Sardinian lunches run late, and many shops close in the early afternoon. An evening walk back in Castello suits a second night in the city.

Take a day on the coast south of Cagliari. The beaches around Chia and Villasimius are among the most popular in the south, with clear water, dunes and shallow bays. Arrive early, since parking fills by late morning in summer, and bring water and shade. Some beaches limit daily visitors or ask for a booking in peak season, so check the municipality's page.

Do not take sand, shells or pebbles home. Removing them is prohibited and fined, and the penalties are heavy. Leave the beach as you found it, and use the day for swimming and a slow lunch.

Drive north to Su Nuraxi di Barumini, a UNESCO-listed Bronze Age complex of stone towers and a village. It lies about an hour from Cagliari and is the best place on the island to understand what a nuraghe is. The single ticket includes a guided tour and also covers the Casa Zapata museum and the Giovanni Lilliu center in the village, so the layout is explained for you; check the Fondazione Barumini site for hours and prices on your date.

From Barumini, continue west to Oristano and the Sinis peninsula for the night. Oristano is a calm town with a few churches and a market, and it is a base for the peninsula. See the Oristano guide. Sinis has long beaches, a ruined Phoenician and Roman city at Tharros and a small early church, so you can finish the evening on the sand.

Spend the morning at Tharros and a Sinis beach, then drive north along the west coast. The road from Bosa to Alghero follows the cliffs and has some of the best views on the island, with pull-offs for photos. Stop in Bosa, a pastel river town with a castle on the hill, for lunch and a walk by the water.

Allow most of the afternoon for the drive. The coast road is slow, and you will want to stop. Arrive in Alghero in time for the old town at sunset, and book dinner on a terrace or by the walls. Keep your car in a paid garage outside the center.

Spend the day around Alghero. Capo Caccia, a cliff headland a short drive from town, has sea caves, including Neptune's Grotto, which is reached by boat from Alghero port or by a long clifftop stair, and which can close in rough seas. A time slot is required for land visits, and the ticket does not cover the boat or shuttle fare. The beaches on either side of town are good for an afternoon swim, and the old town is best in the early evening.

If you want a boat day instead, compare options for a coast tour. A cancellable booking is wise, since winds can change the plan on the northwest coast.

Return the car at Alghero airport, allow time for the drop-off and check your flight time against the rental office's hours. If you have a late flight, take a last morning walk on the old town walls or a swim before you go. Book the earliest return you can manage if your flight leaves early, since the rental queue can be long in summer.

If your flight leaves from Cagliari instead, reverse the route or fly open-jaw only if the rental fee is low. Compare both options before you book.

If you want boat days, fly into Olbia and loop through Gallura. Spend two nights near the Costa Smeralda or San Teodoro, one or two at Palau for a boat trip to the La Maddalena islands, and finish with a night near Olbia for the flight. See Olbia, San Teodoro and Palau for the towns.

This loop is shorter on the road and heavier on beaches, but it costs more, especially in August. If you want a wilder stop, add a night at Cala Gonone for the Orosei Gulf and its boat trips.

La Pelosa is the most famous capped beach near Alghero, about an hour away by car, so it fits an extra day or an early start from the old town. Book on the official La Pelosa booking site only, because it warns of fake booking pages, and note that 500 places can be booked well ahead while the other 1,000 open two days before. If you cannot get a place, the beaches around Alghero and Capo Caccia are free and rarely capped.

On the east coast, Cala Goloritzé needs a reservation from April to October, with a daily cap of 250 people, a €7 fee and a walk of about an hour and a half from the Golgo plateau. Bookings open 72 hours ahead and sell out fast in summer. That cove sits far from this route, so it belongs in the northeast loop or an Orosei Gulf stay, not in the Cagliari to Alghero line. Check the official booking page for the rules in the year you travel, since caps and fees change.

Ferries can replace the first and last flights if you bring your own car or want a slow arrival. Genoa and Civitavecchia are the main mainland ports for Olbia and Porto Torres, and some operators also serve Cagliari and Arbatax on certain routes and in certain seasons. GNV lists Genoa to Olbia and Genoa to Porto Torres, and Tirrenia lists Civitavecchia to Olbia and Genoa to Porto Torres. Check whether your crossing is overnight and needs a cabin, and book early, since car spaces can sell out in July and August.

A ferry makes sense if you are bringing a van or a lot of gear, or if you are already driving from the north. It makes no sense for a one-week trip from a distant country, because the crossing and the drive from the port take most of two days. Compare the crossing time, the car fee and the cabin price with a flight plus a rental, and check each operator for the routes in your travel dates before you build the plan around one.

Skip the Cagliari to Alghero line if you hate long drives: the road between the two cities takes about three to four hours without stops, and the plan uses most of it on day 5. Skip it too if your trip is mainly about boats and Costa Smeralda beaches, which lie in the northeast and need the loop described above. And skip a seven-day plan in August, when roads, car parks and beaches are crowded and prices peak.

If you only want sea and sand, a week on one shore with a pool suits you better, and a rental car for two days will do. If you want a city plus beaches without a car, base in Cagliari and use buses and taxis, accepting that you will see only the closest beaches.

The first mistake is booking a car at the arrival airport without checking the one-way fee for returning at another airport, which can erase the saving from flying open-jaw. The second is assuming every beach is free: a few popular ones need a reservation and a fee in summer. The third is leaving the drive to Alghero for the evening. The coast road is slow and has few places to stop after dark, so start by midday. The fourth is leaving valuables visible in a parked car at a trailhead or beach.

Finally, carry some cash and keep the tank full. Small villages, car parks and beach kiosks may not take cards, and fuel stations in the interior can close in the afternoon.

Book the car, the first and last hotel and any ferry crossing as soon as your dates are firm. Hotels in Alghero and on the coast fill early in July and August, and many places close from late October. Leave the beach days flexible, since wind can change which coast is best on a given morning. Check any beach or cove that needs a booking, and the opening hours for Su Nuraxi and Nora.

Before you go, compare an eSIM for maps and ferry updates, and check that your travel insurance covers rental excess, cancelled sailings and medical care. For route choices beyond the island, the guide to getting around Europe explains trains and ferries on the mainland, and the comparison of Sardinia and Sicily helps if you are still deciding on an island.